Yeah, we'll get disposable bowls for sure. We're figuring 20+ people, so we wouldnt have enough bowls for everyone to even try ONE soup unless we're handwashing each bowl and then handing it to someone else. Plus, I dont relish handwashing all those dishes after the party anyway (sigh... I miss my dishwasher). I'm really loathing this party anyway so I'm trying to at least convince myself that having a cool thing, like a soup buffet, will actually make it fun rather than the misery it will probably be.

What about a chicken noodle or chicken rice soup? If you have room in the freezer, you can make the chicken stock ahead of time and freeze it, along with the chicken meat. Then on Party Day, thaw out the stock and chicken and simmer the noodles/rice/mixed vegetables in it.

How To Make Chicken Stock:

Accumulate some bony chicken pieces like backs, necks, and wing tips. You'll need some meatier portions too, but hold off on cooking them for a while. On a weekend when you will be hanging around the house anyway, put bony bits into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, until the top gets all scummy. Either skim off the grey foam OR dump the whole thing into a colander, wipe out the pot, rinse off the chicken, put the chicken back in the pot, refill with water and bring back to a boil. Add a chopped onion, maybe some celery if you have some, some black pepper (ideally coarsely crushed) and a bay leaf or two. Bring back to a boil. Simmer on medium low for at least an hour, but no harm done if it simmers for two or three. Add meaty bits and simmer some more until the meat is done. Pull out meaty bits. Pour stock through a colander into a large bowl. Toss bony bits and mushy onion. Pick meat off of the meaty bits and toss the bones. Cool, skim off fat, and freeze if serving more than a couple of days later.